Just as with our last days in Japan, time has flown by since we moved back to Metro Detroit. In that time, we’ve celebrated holidays and birthdays, found a new place to call home, traveled and, most importantly, reconnected with family and friends.

There was a lot to process mentally and emotionally as we transitioned back to life in the states. There have been some highs and very unexpected lows. It wasn’t my intention to stay away from this space for six months, but I was honestly at a loss for how to sum up what the repatriation process has been like and how best to share. I also wanted to figure out the ideal way to continue this blog, which has been such a great source of expression for me.

That all being said, the best word to describe the past six months has been jarring. Not jarring in one big boom, but in little waves that knock you off balance unexpectedly. New routines and little adjustments. I can’t believe how hard it is to recall the little Japanese I’d mastered but how often I still bow my head in thanks. And don’t get me started on driving again.

I had a meltdown in the grocery store the first time I went shopping and called my mother asking what aisle bottled lime juice would be in. I don’t know for how many minutes before the call I circled, my mind racing with thoughts like “Why do we need so many options?” and “Why are there so many people in here?” and “God it’s so fucking loud in here” and “This place is too damn big.” It’s funny now but it perfectly sums up this process of being dropped back into a world that was so familiar — it’s the same grocery store I used to go to weekly before the move — and yet suddenly felt unwelcoming and harsh.

Suddenly I was bombarded by all the conversations of strangers I could block out before because I couldn’t understand them. All the food looked huge to me, piled high in enormous mounds that meant whatever was on the bottom would inevitably be damaged or rot without notice. All these options were provided to reinforce a right to so many options. Much of it would go the way of a garbage dump at the end of the week in protection of that ideal.

Sound extreme? I get it. But being in another country meant looking at my home country through a magnifying glass. Why? To answer all the questions I got about the American way of life I never had to think about before. And those questions ranged from politics (won’t get into that in this space) to, yes, big box stores. There’s a reason expats joke international Costco outposts are like American embassies.

There’s another way to describe this process, and that’s mourning. I joked with a friend once that when we moved back to Michigan, we’d be turning in our “cool cards” at the airport on the way out of Japan. As we sat on the plane to return to our home state, it occurred to me we were leaving behind an identity that lent itself so perfectly to making new friends and business contacts, a title that served as a welcome mat to anyone else we met in our situation. We quickly found people to bond with about living abroad and those eager to discuss America and what it means to be American. It felt like a hand holding open a door or a footstool always beneath our feet to help us stand above the crowd. We had a topic to discuss before we opened our mouths and something that made us interesting. Now what?

“Mourning” would have sounded overly dramatic at the beginning of this process. But as the weeks began bleeding into months after we moved back, I found myself trapped on the couch in a cloud I couldn’t shake. I would go to bed at night expecting to wake up in Tokyo or that we would go back in a few weeks like we usually did. I felt so disconnected from a life that had allowed me to reinvent myself and showcase my talents with the bravado of being a stranger. Now I was back in a place of such history, of ups and downs, watermarks and memories, documented failures and triumphs. The place where I’ll always have a past. I asked Craig the other day when we needed to stop talking about Japan.

What do I want to be here? What do I want to do? Luckily work has kept me busy, as has the task of decorating a new apartment (can’t say I was mad about the additional space). I’m taking fitness classes and refocusing on my health and that’s helped me get to a better place. There are still moments when the Twilight Zone-esque effect of moving across the street from the home we left three years ago gives me a lump in my throat and makes me wonder if, somehow, we dreamt it all.

But there is a purpose in every transition and that’s what I’m trying to remember. We’ve had some family news that has helped to put this move back to Michigan into perspective. I’m not religious but I am a believer in being in the right place at the right time. For now, this feels right.

I hope you’ll rejoin me here as I share more of our adventures and introduce you to the Mitten state. There are also last trips in Japan to share and tips for visiting that beautiful place. I’ll also share more on the expat experience to shed some insight for anyone considering it. While the transition has been hard, it was still profoundly rewarding.

I want to treat our time here as I did our time in Japan, for however long it lasts.

Our time here has flown by more quickly than the weepy, puffy-faced girl who arrived here almost three years ago could ever have believed. Today’s the day we fly back to Detroit and few words could do the experience justice. I never thought I would feel this way and that’s a testament to just how incredible this place is.

People have asked us a lot lately what we will miss about living in Japan. While there are the obvious things — the culture, food, people and art — there are some intangible things I’ll miss more. I’ll miss the calm that somehow permeates the massive crowds. I’ll miss the patience of people who know the best things, be it a collectible, a show or a dish, are worth waiting for, no matter how long the line. I’ll miss the preservation and respect for tradition. I’ll miss the pride of ownership no matter if you have a little or a lot. I’ll also miss the laughter we found amid the tears and the excitement and nervousness that made every little thing we did an adventure.

But I guess the real lesson here is we don’t have to say goodbye to those feelings or attitudes. No matter where you call home — even if it’s always been home — you can find those adventures. Every day is precious and what you get out of it is entirely up to you. We learned to make goals, but more importantly, to adjust our expectations (Spoiler Alert: I’m not fluent in Japanese). We did our best and learned to accept sometimes that’s all you really can do. We’re more humbled global citizens who’ve learned to look at the world through more than one lens. Most importantly, we did it together.

To commemorate our time in Japan, we recently teamed up with the incredibly talented Miranda Boller, who snapped our “sayonara portraits.” While it was supposed to be overcast, the sun came out and it was just beautiful. She snapped the photo above on Chuo Dori in Ginza. The street closes to cars on the weekends and it was always one of our favorite strolls. With all the feels we’ve been feeling (my god, the feelings) this past month, it was a reminder of how far we’ve come. We’re better individuals and better partners for having jumped in the deep end of the pool.

No matter how scary or uncertain things may seem, the sun will always come out.

I’ll be posting more Japan-related content in this space in the coming weeks and months as I decide how to transition this space. To everyone who shared the journey with us, who sent encouragement from near and far, to the new friends we made here who invited us into their homes, shared a meal with us, cried with us, got drunk with us, sang karaoke with us, gave me work or helped with small things that made a big difference (i.e. forms we still can’t read), we’re so very grateful to have you in our lives. Getting to share Tokyo with the friends and family who were able to visit meant the absolute world to us. Domo arigatou gozaimasu.

I’ve done a lot of thinking over the past couple weeks about how to write this post. If you follow me on Twitter, you know Craig and I got quite the shock last month when we were asked if we’d move back to the U.S. Craig was offered an amazing work opportunity we simply couldn’t pass up, but it means cutting our time in Tokyo short by more than a year.

It’s taken me a while to post about this because I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to sum up how I feel about it. The best I can come up with is that this move has been met with a lot of mixed emotions on my part and more than a few tears have been shed (both happy and sad).

Let’s start with how I found out.

I was sitting in the airport in Seoul during my two-hour layover on the way to NYC when Craig called to deliver the news, news that arrived less than six months after we moved into a new apartment we adored and a neighborhood we really felt at home in. My first reaction was “Well, you can’t not take it,” which came out despite the massive lump in my throat. I was so instantly filled with pride, but not shock, because I always knew what he was capable of. I then boarded a 14-hour flight bombarded with thoughts of having to find a new apartment, and driving again in snow. Good god, the snow. I joked with a friend during that trip that when we left Tokyo, we would have to turn in our cool cards at customs.

After weeks of thinking and negotiation and drafting of a contract, it’s done: We’re officially moving back to Michigan, our home state, at the end of December. Holy shit.

When people ask us what these (almost) three years have been like living in Tokyo, we always describe it this way: The first year was stressful and confusing and seemed to crawl by. The second year we got more comfortable and was a breeze as we came out of our shells. The third year we both really seemed to hit our strides and it was over before we knew it. Now we have just two months left in Japan and I still can’t believe it. There’s still so much we wanted to see and do, lists that may never get checked off now (you know I love my lists) and there’s a pit in my stomach that stems from a fear we didn’t make the most of our time here. I think about the early days, when the thought of trying to go grocery shopping, or to mail something at the post office, or trying to find somewhere to eat lunch on my own would send me into a panic. There were many hours and days spent on my couch watching television, feeling completely alone and like I was living in a fish tank at the same time.

But then the friends came and the work came and with that, the bravery came. The feeling of home settled in and we finally exhaled when we would land back in Tokyo after some time away. I got to experience a reinvention of sorts and that’s what I have to say has been hard to think about leaving behind. Am I different person? I certainly think so. Will that person fit back in the place where I grew up? I’ve always felt like a square peg in a round hole in Michigan.

And then there are all the things this experience has taught us about partnership, marriage and each other. Will we lose our sense of adventure? Will we lose our feelings of urgency to work out every conflict because of our great need for each other’s support in a place where we lack a safety net?

The joy we feel about returning to friends and family is a given in this situation. We’re elated to be able to call the people we love in the moment when we want to speak with them and that they’re no longer separated from us by oceans and multiple time zones. Being a greater part of our nieces’ and nephews’ lives will be the greatest reward of all.

I guess what I’m saying is, well, I still get scared. I’m scared of the complacency that can come with familiarity. I’m scared of one day being angry about being the one who “trailed.” But then, I snap out of it and remember everything this experience has given us and how what we’ve learned and accomplished here will serve us going forward. I’ll be sharing plenty of my favorite things about Japan in the coming months, so I won’t get into the countless things and people I will miss just yet.

We don’t always get to decide when one chapter of our lives ends. We don’t always get to go down the path we wanted and we’re not always ready when opportunity knocks. But I do get to choose how this chapter impacts all those to come and that’s why I plan to fill the next three years with just as much adventure as the last.

Fireworks never stop being amazing, right? No matter how old you get, the ooh’s and ah’s still seem to come out on their own. I hope this is something that never changes. Stopping to enjoy something spectacular, but in many ways spectacularly simple at the same time. Just sit back and enjoy.

Earlier this month, Craig and I made our way to Enoshima Island, home of Enoshima Island Spa (Enospa), to spend the evening exploring the island and enjoying the Fujisawa Enoshima Fireworks Festival. We were invited to watch the show from the outdoor food court at Enospa and with the clear blue skies, it was an absolutely perfect evening for fireworks. The highly efficient train system in Japan will always top my list of things I’ve loved about living here — we were able to escape to somewhere so completely different from Tokyo in so little time and reminded once again of the beauty of this country. We even got a peak at Mt. Fuji, which is visible from Enospa (especially the outdoor pool area).

Enoshima Island Spa is quite picturesque itself, situated on this small island less than 90 minutes from Tokyo. The spa offers hot springs, saunas, health consultations and a range of skincare treatments at Beng Teng Spa. They also offer massages at Yumemi Shiatsu Salon.

I couldn’t believe how many people came out to enjoy the show, but once it got started, it wasn’t hard to see why. It was a wonderful way to end the summer and welcome autumn.

Sometimes Most of the time, the best adventures are the ones you didn’t plan for. When our friends Gabe and Ilene came to visit last month, they proposed visiting a place we’d heard of but never stopped to see: Nara.

It was one of those sweltering, late-summer days that usually made me want to stay inside, but on our way from Osaka to Kyoto, we decided to make a brief stop in Nara to visit Kōfukuji, home to a towering five-story pagoda, Tōdaiji, the Great Eastern Temple and spend some time with deer. Yup, deer. Now, I’m not the biggest fan of deer (see Louis C.K.’s amazing rant about them) but the time we spent taking photos of them/being mildly freaked out and fascinated by them was well worth it. They were very calm and didn’t seemed phased at all by the crowds (the crackers being sold to feed to them didn’t hurt, either).

Tōdaiji was nothing short of spectacular. First constructed in 752, it’s home to a seated Buddha that is 15 meters tall. It was an awe-inspiring sight that reminded you to stop, take a breath and forget about being too tired or too warm or too stressed and just enjoy your time with those you love.

Traveling to Asia — or any country for that matter — takes some bravery. You have to be willing to live like a local for a while to really have an authentic experience. Take in the famous sights, dine at the establishments that keep getting recommended to you and do your best to communicate.

Every visitor who’s come to stay with us in Japan has jumped in with both feet, which has made showing them around even more fun.

This summer ended with an extended stay from our friends Gabe and Ilene who visited from our home state of Michigan. And they wanted to do it all. We took them to all the must-see spots in Tokyo and then moved onto Osaka, Nara and Kyoto for more adventures. The trip allowed us to visit some places we hadn’t before and be tourists again. Each stop reminding us how lucky we are to have gotten to call Japan home.

All and all, we had a blast and the first batch of shots I’m going to share with you is from our two days in Osaka. Enjoy!

So much barbecue. Ate every ounce.

Made our way to the top of the Umeda Sky Building to get a better view of the city.

Buildings as far as the eye can see.

The outdoor viewing platform is circular and surrounded by plexiglass so you have pretty unobstructed views.

As the storm clouds rolled in, it made for an almost eerie sight.

You’re able to leave a love lock behind. We passed this time around.

How cute are these sweethearts?!

Next we walked to Dōtonbori, a popular shopping, dining and entertainment area along canal. This spot specialized in fugu, or blowfish.

One of the areas most famous signs, the Glico Man.

The next day we braved the heat to go visit Osaka Castle.

Clowning around with these two while trying to stay cool.

This guy. I think I’ll keep him. Taking in the view from the top of the castle.

So, this cabinet is a funny story. I mean, what visit of mine to IKEA hasn’t been a infuriating funny story?! We bought this cabinet (no longer available, similar one here) for additional storage and upon learning how expensive the delivery charge would be, we ended up leaving with a couch to justify the added expense. It still make sense to us, hehe.

Ever since we got it though, I’ve wanted to do something to make it stand out a bit more. So, I ordered some marble contact paper online, dug out an old ruler (from my graphic design classes in college) and made a quick update. Remember when we used to use contact paper to cover school books? Why did we have to use the lame clear stuff?!

Making sure the paper applied smoothly was the toughest part, but going slowly should prevent any bubbles. Those I did find I was able to press out any that popped up pretty easily.

I love how much the marble paper lightened up a plain IKEA cabinet and made it look a little less pre-fab. It’ll do until one day some actual marble to could make an appearance in our home . . . a girl can dream.

I’m back! Apologies for the silence on the space for the past few weeks. After having guests in town, I left for the U.S. for a whirlwind trip that covered three states and included a bachelorette weekend, a wedding and meeting my new niece. I started in New York, then headed to Michigan and ended the trip in Phoenix and I’m getting tired again just typing that.

Trying to keep up with work on the road made things a bit hectic, but now that I’m back in Tokyo, I’m thrilled to share more what we’ve been up to lately. Expect another quick DIY, some snaps from our latest excursions in Japan to Osaka, Nara and back to Kyoto and more. But first, here are my happy sights from my trip to the U.S., starting with this gorgeous shot my cousin took of my absolute favorite city.

I hope your week is off to a great start!

One of the highlights of my weekend in NYC for my cousin’s bachelorette party was a wine tasting sail on the Hudson River. I must admit I spent the second half of it horizontally, as movement and my stomach apparently cannot be made friends by a double dose of dramamine and ginger gum.

I was thrilled to finally take an AKT class in person, especially after a successful morning shopping. But would I recommend doing in jet lagged? Maybe not.

Couldn’t get enough of sweet new niece Gwen.

Joined my sister and her family at the newly opened OdySea Aquarium in Scottsdale, Arizona, where I watched these guys from the bathroom.

So thrilled football season has started! Had to make sure my youngest nephew was properly outfitted from head to toe for game day. Go Green!

First, a little announcement. I’ve decided to discontinue the Weekly Web Tacks series for the time being. As my work schedule has picked up, it’s been difficult to post every week. Thanks for checking it out and for all of my favorite web reads about life in Asia, travel and everything else, be sure to follow me on Twitter.

And now, on to the crafty stuff.

Whenever we have guests come to down, I always get the urge to do little projects around our apartment to spruce things up. We’re lucky to have two friends in town right now (they’ll be spending 10 total days with us), so before their arrival I crossed two easy DIYs off my list.

Washi tape is a huge DIY trend in Asia and abroad. This colorful tape is easy to work with and can allow you to make a drastic change to everyday items quickly. I decided to use some washi tape I bought all too long ago to make this white, plastic tissue box a bit more exciting. The tape can easily be applied and moved around on a smooth surface like plastic, so there wasn’t much anxiety involved in this one in terms of making mistakes. I started with one color and then went for two for some extra shine.

The entire process was just three steps:

Place washi tape in desired spot to create stripe(s).

Cut the washi tape.

Fold over cut ends.

That’s it! It took no time at all and now we have a more attractive way to store a very practical item. Have you tried to use washi tape? Let me know what for. I’ll share my second project next week. Stay tuned!

If you’re someone who cannot get enough beauty products, Seoul is the city for you. If you’re like me, and requested your secret santa get you the latest Chanel nail polish (sorry to my cousin, Justin) or ended more than one sleepover not with girl talk but with your friend(s) falling asleep while you finished your nightly skincare regimen (sorry, Mal), then you need to make a K-Beauty wish list, stat. Hell, you probably already have one.

Once I heard we may go to Seoul, I started making mine. Living in Asia has changed how I take care of my skin in more ways than one. Double cleansing? Love it. Embrace your pale? Sure. And there are certain K-Beauty products I’ve been waiting to try that can be hard to find here in Japan — maybe you can’t import them or maybe they’re at a hidden beauty superstore I’ve yet to discover — I wanted them straight from the source.

With our anniversary just days away, Craig sealed his Husband of the Year award helping me track down some of these products, many of which have become popular in the states as of late. Will my skincare routine expand to 11 steps like women in Korea adhere to? I wish I could say I wasn’t almost there anyway.

But these are the products I worked some magic to fit into my tiny suitcase and I can’t wait to try. I’d read about them on various sites and blogs and I’ll be sure to post a follow up once I try them all. Happy shopping, fellow beauty addicts!

AmorePacific Treatment Toner — The second of my big-ticket items (not sorry), this one contains another popular ingredient — red ginseng — to calm and tone.

MISSHA Time Revolution The First Treatment Essence — This guy’s supposed to be a dead ringer for a certain very pricey Japanese essence. So far, I’ve been using it in the morning and it does seem to give me a little glow. The significantly lower price sold it for me.